Tuberculinum – The Starving Artist

Martina Farragher

2nd Year

Irish School of Homeopathy

May 2009

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An Róisín Dubh - The Dark Little Rose – translated by Pádraig Pearse

A Róisín ná bíodh brón ort fé'r éirigh dhuit:Tá na bráithre 'teacht thar sáile 's iad ag triall ar muir,Tiocfaidh do phárdún ón bPápa is ón Róimh anoir'S ní spárálfar fíon Spáinneach ar mo Róisín Dubh.

Little Rose, be not sad for all that hath behapped thee:The friars are coming across the sea, they march on the main.From the Pope shall come thy pardon, and from Rome, from the East-And stint not Spanish wine to my Little Dark Rose.

Is fada an réim a léig mé léi ó inné 'dtí inniu,Trasna sléibhte go ndeachas léi, fé sheolta ar muir;An éirne is chaith mé 'léim í, cé gur mór é an sruth;'S bhí ceol téad ar gach taobh díom is mo Róisín Dubh.

Long the journey that I made with her from yesterday till today,Over mountains did I go with her, under the sails upon the sea,The Erne I passed by leaping, though wide the flood,And there was string music on each side of me and my Little Dark Rose!Mhairbh tú mé, a bhrídeach, is nárbh fhearrde dhuit,Is go bhfuil m'anam istigh i ngean ort 's ní inné ná inniu;D'fhág tú lag anbhfann mé i ngné is i gcruth-Ná feall orm is mé i ngean ort, a Róisín Dubh.

Thou hast slain me, O my bride, and may it serve thee no whit,For the soul within me loveth thee, not since yesterday nor today,Thou has left me weak and broken in mien and in shape,Betray me not who love thee, my Little Dark Rose!

Shiubhalfainn féin an drúcht leat is fásaigh ghuirt,Mar shúil go bhfaighinn rún uait nó páirt dem thoil.A chraoibhín chumhra, gheallais domhsa go raibh grá agat dom-'S gurab í fíor-scoth na Mumhan í, mo Róisín Dubh.

I would walk the dew with thee and the meadowy wastes,In hope of getting love from thee, or part of my will,Frangrant branch, thou didst promise me that thou hadst for me love-And sure the flower of all Munster is Little Dark Rose!

Beidh an Éirne 'na tuiltibh tréana is réabfar cnoic,Beidh an fharraige 'na tonntaibh dearga is doirtfear fuil,Beidh gach gleann sléibhe ar fud éireann is móinte ar crith,Lá éigin sul a n-éagfaidh mo Róisín Dubh.

The Erne shall rise in rude torrents, hills shall be rent,The sea shall roll in red waves, and blood be poured out,Every mountain glen in Ireland, and the bogs shall quakeSome day ere shall perish my Little Dark Rose! (Kinsella, 1981)

The Irish Romantic Rebel

An Róisín Dubh is an example of the Aisling poems written in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and it reflects some of the main characteristics of the Tuberculinum remedy picture including “romantic self-destruction” and “home-seeking” (Sankaran, 2005). It reflects the national mood of the time; the period following the protestant King William of Orange’s defeat of the Catholic King James at the Battle of the Boyne, after which Catholics in Ireland lost their land and were subjected to penal law. The Aisling tradition reflects the sense of loss and longing that pervaded the Irish psyche at this time. The last remaining Irish leaders had fled to the continent just a generation beforehand (The Flight of the Earls in 1607) and this sense of lost heritage would also have very much been in the national consciousness.

Interestingly, this version of the poem was translated by Padraig Pearse, one of the sixteen Irish rebels executed in the 1916 Rising, and who is often seen as the embodiment of the Rising and the voice of Irish nationalism through his writings . Here again we can see a theme emerging; loyalty to and affection for a national ideal. Love for the homeland and yearning for independence.

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The Pre Raphaelite Brotherhood & Yearning for the Beyond.

The Pre-Raphaelite style of painting is another art form that reflects an element of Tuberculinum. Tuberculosis was a widespread disease in the 19th century, a time of romanticism when artists took their inspiration from exotic and imagined places. Poetry was centred on unrequited love (The Lady of Shallott - Tennyson) and paintings featured magical creatures like nymphs, and noble causes led by knights (Le Morte d’Arthur - Malory). These styles perfectly reflect the physical and artistic ideal of the time.

Persephone in the painting below is deathly pale, with almost translucent skin. There is even a supernatural glow about her. She is gaunt and her eyes are large and cheerless. In the 19th century the beauty ideal came to be an emaciated, consumptive look. It worked its way into popular culture and art and there was even believed to be a burst of creative and euphoric energy before death by Tuberculosis.

This physical depiction of Persephone does not of course ring true for every patient in a Tuberculinum state, however, it does give us a sense of the consumptiveness the disease,

and therefore, the remedy.

Even the subject matter of Rosetti’s Persephone reflects an element of Tuberculinum. Persephone was kidnapped by Hades, God of the Underworld and taken from her mother. She desperately wanted to return to the earth and her mother but she remained imprisoned below by Hades. Her mother, Demeter also pined to see her daughter, and neglected her duties as Earth Mother. The earth started to wither and die and nothing grew again until Persephone was allowed to visit her. From then on, Persephone spent half the year with her mother, when the earth flourished, and half the year as queen of the underworld as Hades’ consort, when her mother pined for her and the earth withered again.

Persephone – Dante Gabriel Rosetti (1828 – 1882)

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Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis, which occurs in humans and other mammals and birds, is a disease which attacks the respiratory system. The bacteria invades the pulmonary alveoli and can spread to other parts of the body through the blood stream. It has been found in Egyptian mummies from 3000 BC and bison remains from 18,000 years ago. The bacteria of the disease lodges in the lungs and a strong constitution contains it by enclosing it in a cheese-like substance on the wall of the lung. A weaker constitution is wracked by coughing as their lungs are consumed and the patient wastes away.

TB has had a very real and recent presence in Irish society. It had become such a national health problem in the early 20th century that the minister for health Noel Brown established one of the largest health schemes ever undertaken by the state at the time. He sold off departmental assets to fund health screening, drug treatments, and the building of sanatoria. Once again, in the 1980’s, tuberculosis hit the headlines, as hundreds of head of cattle were destroyed with Tuberculosis, wiping out whole herds and livelihoods.

Tuberculinum

Tuberculinum is a remedy made from a nosode, meaning it is made from diseased material. Tuberculinum is taken from the pus of a tubercular abscess. A nosode taken from tubercular-infected sputum, is called Baccilinum. Tuberculinum has been more widely proven than Baccilinum, although Baccilinum often works where Tuberculinum has been well indicated, but fails to ease symptoms.

The Character

The Tuberculinum individual often comes across as a wanderer. He is unsettled and does not linger long in any one place. He has a great desire to travel, which takes him away from his home land, which in turn leads to a yearning for that which he has lost. He will sing laments on how wonderful it all was, and dream of returning. He will be the one sitting in a Boston bar, singing and crying into his pint on St Patrick’s Day.

The Tuberculinum picture has a deep set dissatisfaction with his lot, and so will seek out new experiences. The milder form of this is seen in the form of travelling and changing jobs frequently, however, it can also be expressed as being sexually adventurous and promiscuous and experimenting with drugs. He is a great romantic and develops crushes easily. He will even idolise a mentor such as an aunt, uncle or teacher.

The Tuberculinum picture is constantly seeking new experiences and the unknown, and will continue his search on a more esoteric plain, especially in religion, the more exotic, the better. Sadly, he rarely finds inner contentment there.

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Symptoms and how they Behave

One aspect of Tuberculinum that makes it easy to identify is the way in which the symptoms present: both physical and mental/emotional symptoms are changeable, very hard to pin down and often contradictory. They begin and cease suddenly and are sometimes obscure in nature. The Tuberculinum remedy is often successful when a very well-chosen remedy fails to address symptoms. It is also worth keeping in mind when there is a periodicity to the symptoms, i.e., hay fever returning at the same time every year.

Ailments from: Causation and Reaction

Deep sensitivity is often the aetiology of a Tuberculinum ailment. A patient in a Tuberculinum state will react to music, either positively or negatively. The weather and relationships around him are another causative factor. He reacts quickly and angrily to trifles and will snap, though his anger is short lived. In children, discord between parents can trigger symptoms. A child in a Tuberculinum rage may kick, bite or throw things in anger. When they take a cold it may cause diarrhoea and damp weather will go straight to their chest. Symptoms are worse before a storm and also with damp, cold weather and motion. Symptoms improve in the mountains and in pine forests. These patients also improve in hot dry or cold dry weather. Tuberculinum patients often have allergies or intolerances to fur and an affinity for or allergy to dairy products. They suffer from a constant tiredness which is made worse by motion.

Appearance

Tuberculinum children may have downy hair along their spine. Long eyelashes, blue sclerotics (whites of the eyes) and translucent skin are another feature of the remedy picture. Tuberculinum patients may also display thin head hair and have narrow chests. Their build tends to be thin and wiry. They lose weight and are weak and emaciated yet have a voracious appetite for food and life.

Systems in the body affected by Tuberculinum

Adenoids, tonsils and hardening of the lymph nodes of the head and neck; raised like rosary beads under the skin.

Alopecia due to hormonal imbalance.

Tinea on the head or face. Eczema. Itching skin, better for heat.

Craves smoked and pork meats, cold milk and ice cream. Possible allergy to milk.

Respiratory system: chest colds, bronchitis, pneumonia, tuberculosis and asthma.

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Bibliography

Hammond, Declan Lecture notes on Tuberculinum

Colclough, P. & J. (Composer). Song For Ireland. [ Dubliners, Performer, & P. & J. Colclough, Conductor]

Kinsella, T. &. (1981). An Duanaire 16:00 - 19:00: The Poems of the Disposessed. Portaoise: The Dolmen Press.

Norland, M. (2003). Signatures, Miasms, Aids. Devon: Yondercott Press.

Phatak, S. R. (1999). Materia Medica of Homoeopathic Medicines. New Delhi: B Jain.

Sankaran, R. (2005). Sankaran's Schema. Homoeopathic Medical Publishers.

Sankaran, R. (1997). The Soul of Remedies. Bombay: Homoeopatic Medical Publishers.

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